CarLee A to Z
by BlueWallTack
Summary: A collection of CarLee drabbles with prompts in alphabetical order. Updates every week.
1. Atone

**A/N Hey guys, I know it's been awhile. I've gotten all of your messages and don't worry I'll be updating all of my stories soon enough. In the meantime this fic has just been bouncing around in my head for a while now so I finally got around to putting it down on paper. Since these are just small drabbles I'll be updating at least once a week and sometimes probably more! I have the next chapter of Starting Over halfway finished and then after that I'm going to get to work on The CarLee Collection so look forward to that soon as well! Thanks for putting up with me for so long!  
**

**A: Atone**

The past was important, or at least it was to Lee. He thought it was natural that, being a history professor, he would often find himself reflecting on his own past. Like the saying goes "if you don't know your past, you'll never have a future", so as Lee sat on the couch in the parking lot of the motor inn, he let his mind wander to how he ended up here.

It was a weird feeling, to see yourself hit your lowest point, to know that your life is over. For Lee, the irony behind the end of his life as he knew it always brought a bitter smile to his lips. He always thought that as long as he had love and family, as long as he had something to live for, then he would never cross a point of no return and throw his life away. Yet he did, and what was supposed to keep him grounded ended up being the very thing that caused his downfall.

When he sat in that cop car 3 months ago, staring out the window, he had truly accepted that his life was over. However, fate seemed to have other plans for him and granted him a second chance in the weirdest way. Was this really a second chance though? Lee never truly believed in the concept of atonement, especially when it comes to such an unforgivable act like murder. How could he possibly give back the life he took away?

As Lee scanned over his view of the motor inn, his eyes landed on Clementine and Carley, who say on the other side of the parking lot playing some hand game that he couldn't make out. Most people would probably say that saving Clem was his way of atoning, but he just couldn't see it like that. People are not interchangeable; saving Clem doesn't change the fact that he took a life that wasn't his to take.

As he watched the little girl play, he mind wandered to the reporter who was playing with her. He had talked about this with Carley many times over the past 3 months since they met, and each time she tried to give him some hope. She was much more optimistic than him, and believed that he could use this second chance to atone for what he did. His lips turned up into a smile as he pictured the small pout she got every time he told her he just couldn't believe her words.

He was incredibly grateful though. Having Clementine with him restored the lost faith he had and made him see the light that was still left in this dark world, and having Carley by his side telling him that he doesn't have to give into his past actions and encouraging him to keep going, regardless of who he was, gave him a reason to change himself and keep moving forward. He couldn't have asked for anything better and to him, Carley and Clem were two gems that he didn't deserve.

"Hey!"

Lee was brought out of his head by the sound of Clementine giggling as Carley had attacked the girl, tickling her sides. Realizing he had enough introspection for one day, he smiled as he stood up and made his way over to them.

He still doesn't believe that he could ever atone for what he did, but that doesn't mean that he's eternally damned either. Second chance or not, he was given a gift, one that he refuses to waste.

**A/N Sorry this first one was a bit rusty. I haven't written in a while and I'm trying a new style so please bear with me. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Books

**B: Books**

Out of everything in the apocalypse that Carley mourned the loss of, she never thought that she would ever miss reading as much as she did.

Before the world went to hell, Carley used reading as a form of release, of comfort. She remembered the feeling of pure content she got whenever she curled up on her bed with a cup of tea and a book at the end of a long tiring day. Now, with the fighting in the group happening almost every day and the constant threat of death looming over her, Carley wished that she could just have one outlet, something to take her mind away from reality for even just a moment.

At one point she told Lee about her craving for reading. It was in the middle of a card game that they were playing her room, a way of passing the time that didn't involve just staring at the walls until they went insane. Lee had laughed and replied that he could relate. Being a professor, he had to keep up with all kinds of readings to the point where he actually started to enjoy them. His favorites were non-fiction, but he sometimes enjoyed a good science fiction novel as well. Carley however had a passion for mystery novels. Her favorite was "4th of July", a novel that was a part of the Women's Murder Club series. She could spend hours talking about the plot, themes and her favorite character Cindy Thomas. Lee had teased her about her favorite character being a reporter as well, and she playfully shoved him in return.

Their exchange led Carley to come up with an idea. During a supply run when at least one of them had to go out, they would stop at the library near the area in Macon where they looked for supplies and bring books to each other. Carley did her best to try and find the most interesting non-fiction and sci-fi novels while Lee looked for any mysteries that Carley would enjoy. It was sort of like a game, one that allowed them to always have something to talk about, to look forward to, and to always have something to take their mind off of just how bad the world was now. At one point Lee had even brought back a children's book for Clementine, and the look on her face as he handed it to her was more wonderful than he could ever describe.

At the end of one day when Carley came back into her room, she saw a small light blue book lying in the middle of her bed with a small note on top of it. Automatically knowing who it was from, she picked it up and read the note. _"It's poetry. I thought I'd give you something different this time. The one on page 43 is my favorite."_ Sitting down on her bed, she turned to the page he mentioned and read.

_Rest your head and close your eyes_  
_Everything will be okay_  
_For when you wake with the sweet sunrise_  
_It will be a brand new day_  
_Turn down the lights and pull me close_  
_Feel only the beating of our hearts as we lay_  
_For when you wake with the soft morning breeze_  
_It will be a brand new day._

_Relax your body and caress my soft hair_  
_Let all of life's worries melt away_  
_For when you wake with the warm summer scent_  
_It will be a brand new day_  
_Fall fast asleep and dream with me_  
_Whisper "I love you, I'm here to stay"_  
_For when we wake in each other's arms_  
_It will be a brand new day._

By the time she reached the end of the poem, Carley's face was brighter than it had been in a long time and she found herself unable to stop smiling. Closing the book and leaving it back on her bed, she left her bedroom door in search of Lee.

**A/N** **The book series I mentioned "Women's Murder Club" is an actual book series and it's really good! You should check it out if you have the time. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Candor

**A/N Sorry for not updating the last two weeks! I had so much work to do and stuff to study for. I had a lot to do these last few weeks but look forward to a new chapter of Starting Over tomorrow!  
**

**This drabble takes place in an AU and mentions one of my other drabbles on tumblr where Carley only gets shot in the right shoulder instead of the head. She makes the decision to leave Lilly behind, stays with the group and makes it to Savannah. This takes place in the backyard of the house that they take refuge in during episode 4.**

**C: Candor  
**

The one thing that Lee loved most about Carley was her honesty. Ever since they had met she had always been open and sincere with him, and after he learned to trust her, he was completely open with her in return. Since no one but Carley knew about his past, the bond he had with her was one that he didn't have with anyone else at the motor inn, and it was one that he cherished. It felt nice to not have to hide himself with her, to not have to lie and hope that she wouldn't find out about him and what he's done. Overall, it was just nice to have someone to trust. In the world they lived in now, it was rare to find someone who you could fully trust with your life and who trusted you with theirs.

And that made it all the more painful when he broke her trust.

She stood there with her arms crossed, glaring. Her green eyes shone in the midday light and although they were beautiful, Lee couldn't bear to look into them. Even without looking at them he could see the mixture of anger, hurt and betrayal that he had cause her to feel. He couldn't help but wonder how much of that anger was also directed at Ben, but he would never dare to ask.

"Why?"

Lee was shocked to finally hear her speak. Ever since he had confessed to knowing who stole the supplies she had been completely silent, just staring at him in shock and anger.

"Why what?" he responded cautiously.

"Why didn't you tell me?" her face still held a glare and Lee wondered how truthfully he should answer.

"I never found the right time. So much has happened with Ben, Kenny, Katjaa and Duck, these new people, the person out there messing with us with the bells..."

"And what about the guy on the radio? You've never said a word about him to me before. Just how much have you been keeping from me?" Lee rubbed the back of his neck. He knew she had every right to be angry with him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept the truth from you."

"Lee, be honest. You didn't just keep the truth from me because it wasn't the right time. You were afraid of how I would handle it." Lee slightly opened his mouth in shock, unable to come up with a rebuttal. If he was being truly honest with himself then yea, she was right. Ever since Lilly had shot her in the shoulder Lee has been fiercely protective of her. He refused to let her get that close to death ever again.

"Lee, I'm not a little girl. I can protect myself from walkers and people as well." Her face softened slightly as she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you, or at least I did," he couldn't help but wince at that, "I need you to trust me too. Don't deal with this shit alone."

Lee wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into his embrace, "I'm sorry. I'm just afraid of losing you. After what happened with Lilly..."

"I know. But trust me, lies always hurt more than the truth ever could."

"I'll remember that."

"You better," Carley said as she playfully hit his chest. Lee let out a small laugh and pulled away from her.

"Come on, let's get back inside," Lee said as he walked toward the backyard door with Carley following him.

**A/N Don't forget to leave a review. I still feel shaky with this new style so your feedback is much appreciated!**


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